Exporting Accessible PDFs

The first step in creating an accessible PDF from PowerPoint is to ensure that the original slide deck is accessible. Make sure to follow the core steps for accessibility as outlined on the PowerPoint Presentations page.

Starting with an accessible slide deck, a goal when exporting to PDF is to do so in a way that preserves the structure of the PowerPoint, including slide titles, reading order, alternate text for images, and markup that explicitly identifies lists, tables, document language, and other content that is important for accessibility.

Techniques

Do not print to PDF. This method will not preserve the document structure and will result in a PDF document with no tag structure.

PowerPoint for Windows

From the File menu, select “Save As…” and choose where you want the file to be saved. In the Save As dialog box, select PDF from the Save as type list. By default, this produces a PDF that preserves the document structure and assures accessibility.

PowerPoint for Mac

Users of PowerPoint for Mac should be cautioned that exporting to PDF will not yield an accessible, tagged PDF document, it must be remediated using Acrobat Pro.

The first step in creating an accessible PDF from Microsoft Word is to ensure that the original Word document is accessible.
Make sure to follow the core steps for accessibility as outlined on the Documents page.

Starting with an accessible Word document, a goal when exporting to PDF is to do so in a way that preserves the document structure of the Word document, including heading levels, alternate text for images, and markup that explicitly identifies lists, tables, document language, and other content that is important for accessibility.

Techniques

Do not print to PDF. This method will not preserve the document structure and will result in a PDF document with no tag structure.

Word for Windows

From the File menu, select “Save As…” and choose where you want the file to be saved. In the Save As dialogue box, select PDF from the Save as type list. By default, this produces a PDF that preserves the document structure and assures accessibility.
If the autosave feature is enabled on a document you are working on then the "Save As" option may not be visible, as your document is already being saved to a certain location with each edit made. In this case select "Save as PDF." 

Adobe InDesign, if used to create a document that is ultimately exported to PDF, is capable of producing a PDF that is reasonably accessible. However, creating an accessible document using InDesign requires authors to follow a specific workflow.
This workflow is described in detail on Adobe’s Creating accessible PDFs page.
The following is a high-level summary of the steps required.

Techniques using InDesign

• Create your document using paragraph styles (Window > Styles > Paragraph Styles). These aren’t just a good idea—they are required for accessibility. Use them consistently throughout the document to define styles for all text, including headings and sub-headings. For headings, use styles that indicate the heading level (e.g., Heading1, Heading2) within the organizational structure of the document (headings should form an outline of the document).
• Associate each of the styles you’ve created with specific PDF tags. From the Paragraph Styles options menu, select “Edit All Export Tags…”, check the PDF radio button, then select the relevant tags for each of your styles.
• Add alt text to images (Object > Object Export Options > Alt Text).
• Establish content read order with the Articles panel (Window > Articles). Simply drag content from the document into the Articles panel in the order in which it should be read by screen readers. To drag multiple items, select them in the correct read order using Shift+click, then drag them all at once to the Articles panel.
• Export to PDF, be sure to select “Adobe PDF (Interactive)” for Format, and check the “Create Tagged PDF” checkbox.